12 Hours Ago
by Filthr
Summary: What do you do when you feel like your world is caving in, your ex is mean, your family are even worse and you just want to forget everything? Flirt with the cute bartender, of course. What happens when that bartender is also mean? Well. You try and run from that too. Too bad he seems to be everywhere.


_12 Hours Ago_

Strobe lights flashed around her, bathing the room of sweaty, cluttered people in hues of blues, reds, greens and other various blinding colours. The split seconds of darkness was almost a relief to the eyes before you were blinded by another flash of neon. A sigh left the young woman lips as she took another sip of her drink from her position in the corner of the darkened bar. These thoughts were probably why her friends never bothered to ask her out anymore. Lavender eyes scanned the mass of bodies only to once again lay her eyes on the group of very familiar individuals huddled together, laughing and spilling drinks around as they enjoyed themselves. Exhausted eyes closed as she turned back into the bar, willing that no one, especially them, realised she was here, hiding away from her miserable little world for a brief time, drowning her annoyances in booze. Tasty, fruity booze… but booze none the less. Yes, she enjoyed girlie cocktails. They looked pretty and tasted like juice. Sue her. Wrapping her tongue around the clear straw, she rested her elbows on the glowing blue counter. As much as the strobing lights killed her eyesight, the bar was extremely aesthetically pleasing. Multiple rows of shelves filled with more alcohol than she thought were available. They all had neon blue rimming around the edges lighting up the bottles so you could read what they were. The bar itself was a similar design, just the top was made of tempered glass that luminated everyone's faces, sitting around the bar. As she rested, enjoying her drink and trying to wind down, she scrolled through her phone absentmindedly, trying to distract herself from the thoughts of the day. Suddenly a notification popped up.

 **Plan event for New Years with Toneri.**

A frown developed on her lips at that. Why was she always the one to plan special occasions again? Oh right. Because he didn't actually give a shit about her. _Thanks for the reminder phone._ She sighed again as she took the time to delete any other events that correlated to the man she'd apparently wasted so much time trying to love. That task turned out to be a lot more difficult than she was anticipating since the majority of their interactions were linked with the Hyuga. Lovely. Another reminder she didn't want. Dropping the phone on the counter before her in defeat, she leaned back into the wall beside her, hoping to blend into the dark and disappear for the night… or forever. However, Kami wasn't so kind. She heard a glass be placed in front of her. Dark eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she looked down at it. She hadn't ordered another drink yet. She was heavily contemplating going home instead. Her eyes travelled up the tanned skin that held the glass, connected to a crisp, white, rolled up dress shirt and then to a rather defined jawline and face. _Bartender._ Was all her drunken mind could offer her regarding the male staring in front of her with a grin.

"Can't stand to see a pretty girl look so down." Hinata's eyebrow lifted at the corny line but couldn't help the flush of blood pooling on her cheeks. Damn her childhood traits.

"So, you'd rather get them wasted and down?" She hadn't meant to come off so snarky, but the alcohol and familiar voices carrying over the loud music were beginning to get to her. She watched his grinning face turn into a frown as his nose screwed up in disapproval.

"Well when you say it like that, I sound like a date rapist." She couldn't contain the snort of amusement that erupted from her, trying to not squirt the drink she'd taken a sip from out of her nose. Coughing slightly, she glared at him for laughing at her display.

"You said it, not me." Was her oh-so-witty response. The 'I know you are but what am I' comeback reshaped. She inwardly groaned at herself. A cute guy comes and flirts with her, and all she can do is make the retorts of a 5-year-old. Her eyebrow raised in question when she heard him chuckle. A deep sound that fitted him nicely. Pearl eyes closed, trying to rid the thoughts of the sexy bartender that appeared suddenly.

"You got me there, one-sec doll face, I'll be back with a better come back soon." With that, he walked to a patron waving him down, looking rather impatient at not receiving service in a millisecond. Kami, people, were self-absorbed. She took a moment to look over the guy that'd kept her company for a bit. He was dressed in normal bartender clothes, black slacks with a white button up dress shirt that he'd rolled up to his elbows. _Guy clearly understood girls' wet dreams._ She continued to take in his physique. Lean, held a bit of muscle. Nothing ridiculous, but he clearly looked after himself. Which she appreciated greatly. And she was certain most of the girls near the bar did too. Next was his face, his jawline was defined, lips plump but not huge, she liked them. Especially the way he flicked the toothpick around with his tongue skilfully. She wondered if it was a normal thing for him, but by the looks of it, it was. He managed to talk and work without it hindering him, so he obviously had some practice with it. Moving onto his nose, it was proportionate, slightly bent to the right, indicating it'd probably been broken before. It wasn't super noticeable, but she appreciated him a bit too thoroughly. She found her favourite feature were his eyes though, a close second those lips. They were slightly slanted, the pupils a cute amber brown colour that seemed to work well with his sleek brown shoulder-length hair. Huh, he was wearing a bandanna. Weird she hadn't noticed till now.

"Enjoying the view?" A smug voice coaxed her out of her daze as she made a noise of surprise. She heard him laugh at her face once again bloomed into a blush. She rolled her eyes, trying to play it off as she muttered the first thing that comes to mind.

"I didn't even notice you wore a bandanna." … _Smooth Hinata._ Once again, she groaned at herself inwardly at her genius comments. She really needed to go home. Now. She was perplexed when he grinned at her.

"Well, that's because if people saw my hair along with all of this, they wouldn't be able to control themselves." He motioned to his body with his hands in a cocky sense, causing the woman to snort in disbelief at him.

"Yeah, and I turned heads walking in like this." She snorted and sipped at her drink again. Momentarily looking down at her plain black skinny jeans and the deep plum top she wore. The top had a rather low-cut neckline and hugged her form a bit more than she usually liked, but she was exhausted and threw on the first half decent clothes she had. She had a feeling Hanabi had been swapping out some of her clothes. She never remembered buying this.

"Turned mine." Suddenly, he was very close, and Hinata was _very_ aware of it. He leaned on the counter looking at her with that smug smirk on his lips. She shivered slightly as his eyes dragged over her. She coughed awkwardly and sat up more, finishing her drink.

"Well this has been great, but I have to get home. Have to wake up at a half decent time tomorrow and be functional." Slipping her butt out of the leather bar stool, she waved at him and began half running out the door in embarrassment. She sighed as she finally left his view, the mass of bodies covering her for now. She didn't know what overcame her. He was just so… forward. She had to admit it had been nice to be hit on so openly. Maybe she was a bit hasty… he was probably just trying to make her feel better since she looked so upset. The petite girl bit her lip gently before turning around in a moment of liquid courage. She'd at least ask his name. But as she walked back to the bar, she saw him standing with another two employees who were laughing, handing him some money. She furrowed her eyebrows before stopping suddenly as their words finally drifted towards her.

"I can't believe you actually did it."

"Yeah dude, haven't you figured out the shy, nerdy ones are always psychos."

"Pft, you guys are just pussy's, can't handle a little awkward. Now hand over the rest of the money, I won the bet."

Hinata turned quickly and began running towards the exit. Salty liquid filling her eyes as she tried to force it back. She was being stupid. Of course, he wouldn't just come up to a girl like her. Who was she kidding? She finally managed to make it outside, breathing deeply as the fresh air finally hit her. Clearing away some of the effects of the alcohol and the smoke that seemed to cling to her. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, trying to shield herself from the cold of the early morning. Looking down, she pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the time. **0200.** Definitely time for bed. She had class in the morning. And an annoyingly cute bartender to forget.

-X-

She was beginning to sigh entirely too much lately. Everything was becoming so… so… troublesome. Now if only Shikamaru's brains could be transferred to her, rather than his vocabulary. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to her professor. A mean old man that saw her like someone else did. Some spoilt, rich Daddy's girl who got everything handed to her. So he made school life hell for her. If only he knew nothing ever just got handed to her. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, staring at the giant 'C' printed on her most recent assignment. A credit. Wasn't so bad, right? Wrong. If it wasn't at least a Distinction, it was useless in her family. Wishing she had some of that liquid courage now, she walked to her older professor. His white hair styled as if he were in his twenties, although he was clearly rocking that dad bod.

"Um. Professor Ootori? May I speak to you for a moment?" The man looked up at her with a displeased look, like she was interrupting something incredibly important. _Yeah, cause doing your job is just so inconvenient._ Forcing back another sigh, she offered him a weak smile.

"What is it, Miss Hyuga?" His voice was gruff, and he clearly wasn't thrilled to be talking to her. _Maybe he'd be more interested if I unbuttoned my shirt more._ The small woman was exceptionally testy today. Maybe those drinks last night weren't the best option. Or that stupid bartender.

"Um, I just wanted to talk to you about my recent grade. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to bump it up a bit? I'd like to stick on a Distinction base." She mumbled out, hoping he managed to hear her in his deaf state.

"Unfortunately, Hyuga, not everything is that easy. If you wanted a distinction, you should have put more effort into your essay rather than going out drinking to Kami knows what hour." She winced at his remark. Apparently, her make up hadn't completely hidden the dark circles under her eyes. Huffing to herself, she refused to give up so easily. She wasn't some sputtering, shy mess of a girl that she was in high school. She was an independent, confident business major!

"P-Please Sir, anything. I want to do well in this course." Okay, maybe she wasn't so fierce but still. A sigh left the man in front of her. He stopped his typing and turned to pay her all his attention. She froze under his critical gaze. Maybe she didn't want him to do his actual job.

"If you're so adamant about doing better you can take a secondary subject. Doesn't matter what it is, just make sure you do well in it, and it will lift your overall grade. Is that all?" She smiled in victory and nodded frantically, thanking him before running out of the room. She continued smiling to herself as she walked aimlessly down the pathways of her university. She wasn't going to die! Victory. Now only to figure out what subject she wanted to do. Maybe art? That'd be an easy HD. But it also may just make her depressed. She sighed as she walked by some stores before a quaint café caught her eye. It was tucked in the corner of a large line of food services. It was a basic cream colour with a large window at the front. _'Konoha University Café,'_ was sprawled on the window in calligraphy. Very original. She made her way inside and found the area quite cosy. There were wooden chairs and tables gathered around with an assortment of brick walls around the café. She made her way to the booth that had a 'U' shaped couch covered in muted orange leather. There were plants and pictures hung around the shop with the aroma of coffee and baked goods wafting through. It was beautiful and quite possibly her new favourite spot. She set up her laptop in front of her and a notepad. Before she began her in-depth research on each elective subject possible, she stood to get herself some sweets and a beverage. She was in dire need of Chai Tea. As she stood in line, she gazed over the array of sweets and felt her mouth water as she made eye contact with some perfectly iced cinnamon rolls. _Bingo._

"Yo, welcome to Konoha Café, what can I get ya?" A rather bored voice repeated to her as she finally reached the front. She looked up to see a rather attractive guy leaning into the tablet. His silver hair spikes up in an attractive manner, but he had a cloth over his face. Weird.

"Um, hi. Can I get a Large Chai Tea with a cinnamon roll, please?" The man nodded without a word and began pressing her order in before looking up again.

"Name?"

"Oh, Hinata." She smiled at him pleasantly before moving to her self-assigned seat as he nodded at her. She began her work investigating the horde of subjects available. Suddenly her task seemed a lot more difficult than she first thought. She became so enthralled in her work that she completely missed her name being called from the front and continued on. Only for a rather impatient cough sounded from beside her. She jumped noticeably, forced out of her trance only to see the same tall silver-haired man, standing beside her. He looked annoyed. Even if she could only see half his face.

"Um, hi?" She offered pathetically only for him to thrust the tea in front of her with her rolls. She flushed bright red in realisation before furiously beginning to apologise. Suddenly he didn't seem all that annoyed anymore, rather he seemed like he was almost laughing behind his mask.

"Chill. It's alright. I thought you were purposely ignoring me to get special treatment, but I see you're just a ditz." She flushed again at the insult. Life was not kind. She sighed and muttered another sorry. He merely shook his head and patted her on the head.

"You're fine, ditzy. Just don't expect me to do this all the time. The other girls might get jealous." She watched him wink at her and move back to his spot behind the counter. She blinked in confusion. So… Did he like her or not? She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but decided to assume he was just awkward and thought calling girls ditzes was… endearing? Shrugging, she went back to her work, getting lost again in the subjects.

-X-

She rolled on her side in bed. Tired eyes trying to blink away the fuzziness of sleep as her alarm sounded beside her. She groaned and pleased 'stop' on her phone before rolling back cover, trying to remember who she was and what she was doing all over again. Sitting up, she stretched out her arms and began for the shower. As she walked, she began picking up clothes from the day prior and took them to the laundry. She paused for a moment, her clothes bundled up in her arms as she surveyed her little apartment. And by little, she was talking only 2 rooms in the house. Her bedroom, which admitted had an ensuite with the only shower and toilet in the place and living/kitchen area. That's it. Now, this may be pretty normal to most people, but she was from a family who flaunted their wealth in every way possible. Meaning she used to sleep in a giant room with a canopy bed, a library and study section, bathroom, mini lounge area, the works. The only real reason she ever had to leave her room was for food. She sighed as she continued her track to the shower. She didn't care how small it was, she loved it. And she'd fought tooth and nail for it when she was dating Toneri so they'd have time alone together. Look how that worked out. It had been a week, and she was still upset. _Asshole_.

Standing into the hot water, she let the exhaustion melt away from her body. Today was a new day. She would get through this. Just another day of fighting. Although the thought of going back to that café was appealing. She'd made a bit of a routine, get coffee, go to class, finish and study at café, rinse and repeat for the day. She smiled and began her early morning routine. Better get the class before Mr Grouchy yelled at her again.

Before stepping out of the apartment, she gave herself one last once-over before she left. Blue jeans, white flats, a simple lavender top and her signature jacket. Perfect. She stopped and began to make her way to school. She generally walked to class as it wasn't very far from her at all, maybe a 15-minute walk? And with headphones, everything seemed to go faster. As she made her way to school, she passed by the café and went in to grab a coffee before her first lecture. Mr Grouch would just have to wait. She walked in and greeted the man she'd met a week ago. Kakashi, she learned.

"Oh, hey ditzy. Same thing?" She rolled her eyes at the new apparent nickname but nodded her head.

"I don't have to come hand it to you again, do I? I do actually have work to do." He grinned at her teasingly and rung up her order. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"It was a week ago, and if you keep teasing me, I'll make you bring it to me as punishment." She muttered out to which the male merely smirked wider.

"Punish me? Kinky." Her face exploded in heat at his response, resulting in him laughing and nodding. She'd also learnt he was a relentless flirt. His laughter was cut short as another voice called out.

"Kakashi, stop harassing people, ya perv." She didn't know what it was, but the voice sounded oddly familiar. Not like she heard it every day, but she knew it from somewhere. However, she suddenly remembers all too well where she knew that voice from as the same guy from the bar walked out in a black apron with the shop's logo printed on the front. Obviously, an employee. He had two jobs? Aw, screw him, she liked this place. She turned away suddenly minding her own business as the two bickered. Finally, her name was called, but from _the guy_. She looked up to see him holding out her drink expectantly. She looked for any sign of recognition but didn't see any. She sighed in relief and took the coffee, mumbling a thank you as she bolted out the door. She sighed again as she walked to class, using the hot coffee to warm her cold hands.

"Well, there goes that café. Where am I gonna find such a cute one again, and so close?" She whined to herself, and she continued. Stupid…male. She blinked as she realises she didn't even know his name. And yet somehow, she felt hurt by him. She made her way to class and sipped at her coffee through the boring lecture, scribbling down notes as she wallowed in her own self-pity at the loss of her very recent favourite café. Today was going to be long.

-X-

Her hand ached as she tried to scribble as fast as the lecturer was talking. She enjoyed her new subject immensely, but the teacher would never slow down. She could already feel her hand muscle getting stronger, and she'd only been in the class a week. What did she pick for her new easy A class? Biology.

 _So not so easy._

But she did love the class. She enjoyed biology immensely, the human body fascinated her and had she not been subjected to becoming a CEO… kinda. Nurse probably would have been on her list of alternatives. But on the subject, why was she still doing this if they didn't even think she was worth being the Heiress? She sighed as she tried not to follow that thought process. Suddenly she could hear people around her beginning to pack up their things. She looked at the clock on her laptop and noticed it was close to three. Finally. A break. And home. Yay. She smiled to herself and dropped her pen as she stretched out her poor overworked fingers before closing her laptop and placing it into her bag along with her other utensils. She stood and exited the room quickly with the other students eager to get home or go to their next class. Or, ya know, hang with friends like normal people. Speaking of friends, she hadn't seen hers since that night out… and she hadn't even been out with them! Frowning she began her aimless walk home, but before she could get far, she heard her name being called out. She turned in a confused daze to the sound. None of her friends went to this uni? She didn't have friends here? However, upon turning around, she noticed Kakashi, who she admitted she kind of missed bantering with. She smiled and waved at him as he walked up to her, only to realise someone else had tagged along with him. A certain... man. Whom she still did not know the name of and frankly didn't care. At least that's what she told herself.

"Hey Ditz, you haven't been at the café all week, I've missed annoying you." Despite the teasing tone, there was an undertone of genuine curiosity in his voice, she immediately felt bad. It wasn't his fault… it was his stupid, attractive friend. Who's a dick. And makes bets about flirting with shy, upset girls at the bar. She felt herself become annoyed at her own thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Super busy I suppose and trying to save money… and calories." Kakashi snorted at her addition and rolled his eyes.

"Girls and their calories. You should come in today, I'll give you the staff discount if you're nice to me." The silver-haired man nudged her suggestively.

"You and I both know that's not gonna happen."

"Ouch. That cut deep, Ditz." She rolled her eyes. Still with that stupid nickname. One time. She sighed and nodded to him.

"I'll put it back in my schedule, okay?"

"That's the spirit. You know you love our café, who wouldn't? There are hot guys everywhere in it." She snorted as his blatant cockiness and shook her head before turning away.

"Of course, Kakashi, I'll see you tomorrow." With that she began her trek home, trying to ignore the looks the guy had been making at her the whole time.

-X-

Genma lifted an eyebrow as the girl began walking away rather quickly. She was… odd. To put it lightly. She looked shy and meek, but when she spoke, she seemed to have an edge to her. He turned to Kakashi as they began walking back to the café. Their break was almost finished. They'd gone to get lunch elsewhere because you can only eat the same things so many times.

"You two seem to get along… kind of." Genma looked at his friend in confusion, waiting for him to explain their little… relationship?

"Yeah, she's cool. Super sweet girl that blushes whenever she's embarrassed, it's fun to do. She's also the heiress to the Hyuga Enterprise." That made him lift an eyebrow. And she was complaining about money issues? Please. Here he was working two jobs to get by while she probably got $2000 allowance a week from Daddy. Pft. Rich kids.

"Guess she's one of those rich girls then. They're usually hot, but Christ do they ever shut up about themselves. Might wanna dodge that ass, buddy." He placed his hands on his head stretching as he walked.

"I don't know, she's never really given me that vibe. She's super nice when we've talked, and she seems to always be studying so, she seems like a half decent person. Plus, she's pretty fun to actually talk to. You should try it when she comes in." Genma rolled his eyes as they arrived at the café. He highly doubted it. Rich girls were always snobs. He learnt that from his time working as a bartender.

-X-

He grinned at the hot blonde in front of him, she was talking about her major and very obviously flirting back with him. She was pleasant on the eyes and must have been decently smart to study Psychology, but those kids were always a bit more on the weird side. He continued flirting as he rang up her order, but his attention was deterred as he heard the bell to the shop go off. He looked passed the pretty blonde to see the strange girl who Kakashi had talked to yesterday. What was with weird girls going to this school? He finished up the order and began the next, his eyes flickering every so often to the dark mop of hair sitting in the booths to the side. Okay, so mop wasn't the best description… it actually looks silky and very well maintained. He momentarily wondered if it was as soft as it looked. He began to become annoyed as she sat at the table, seemingly not interested in ordering anything. Or did she think because she was apparently a regular that everyone would just know her orders? Pft. He hadn't seen her before.

"Oi, put in an order for a cinnamon roll and large Chai Tea. I'll begin making it." He heard Kakashi call over to him, forcing him to look in confusion to his silver-haired companion. Kakashi merely smirked and began making the order. So Genma did what he was told, too tired to bother arguing. Working two jobs did that to you, especially one really late one. Suddenly the mystery drink was thrust into his hands.

"Oi, grab a cinnamon roll and take that to Hinata, the girl I was talking to yesterday." Genma's shoulders shrugged in defeat. Okay, maybe she wasn't such an entitled twat if Kakashi was bringing her food to her. Still. Stupid Kakashi. But maybe he was right, maybe he was just being too hard on the girl and stereotyping her. Genma decided to shrug off whatever negative vibes he got from the girl and put the baked good in a small brown bag before walking up to the working girl, putting on his best smirk.

"Hey doll face, Kakashi ordered you this, hope it's what you wanted." He watched as she instantly froze at his greeting. _Okay… not the normal response._ She looked up at him for a moment and see pure hurt in her eyes before they fell back to indifferent. What the fuck?

"Um, thanks. Yeah, it is. You didn't need to bring it to me though, I was coming to order." It should have been a polite retort, but her attitude wasn't giving him that impression. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Okay, he was completely justified in crossing her off as a spoilt brat. He rolled his eyes and dropped the food in front of her turning around and leaving abruptly. Hopefully, she thought he was enough of an asshole to not come back. There were cuter girls that could be filling up that seat. He continued to work as she did. And for some reason, the fact she didn't seem bothered by his leave made him all the angrier. Huffing in irritation, he threw his apron off as he walked to the staff area in the back. He lifted himself with ease onto the bench and sighed. He didn't know why he was affected by the stupid girl. Well, he did, but he was never usually so easily aggravated. He was calm and casual. He felt another body came and sit beside him. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Genma almost laughed at his friend's expression but instead sighed and shook his head.

"Just entitled, rich kids. Never worked a day in their lives and they feel like they can treat others poorly who do." Kakashi's eyebrow raised in confusion. He hadn't heard anymore be rude to him. Genma looked down before jumping off the bench, turning to Kakashi with his signature smirk, flicking the toothpick in his mouth to the opposite side as he responded.

"Oh well, whatcha gonna do? I'm off loser, miss me while I'm gone." He laughed as he heard Kakashi shout he'll revel in his absence instead. Less douchiness to deal with. Like he could talk. Amber eyes flickered to the orange booth as he began walking out, noticing bitchy wasn't there. _Good, hopefully, she says away._ He began his walk home as he always did. He could take the subway, but he just didn't feel the need to be crowded around other people today. He had tension he needed to be gone. And unfortunately, he hadn't gotten that blondes number due to his distraction with the dark-haired girl. Kami, just thinking about her made his blood boil. He carried on his trek through the park as he came across, a particular bitch that'd been occupying his mind for the past hour. Sitting on one of the benches. Crying. _Shit._ Did Daddy cut her off from a few hundred this week? Must have to rough it out this week. He didn't know why he was being so mean to this girl, but something about her irked him to no end.

"What's wrong with you, Princess?" He didn't even know why he addressed her. Maybe to confirm his suspicions she had no right to be crying? He didn't really know, but here he was, staring at a tear streaked girl while he lazy held his hands in his pocket, waiting for a stupid reply.

"Okay, what is your issue with me!" Amber eyes widened a fraction. He… honestly hadn't been expecting that. In hindsight he should have, he'd been nothing but rude to the girl but in his mind, it was justified.

"What have I done to you to make you such an asshole to me?" His eyebrow furrowed together, hating the guilt that suddenly exploded in his chest.

"Oi, maybe I don't like stuck up rich kids who think everyone should love them just 'cause they have some money? What makes you so special you think everyone should love you without reason to?" His anger was getting the best of him, but he hated these people. These people who thought the world owed them everything, all because they were born into the right family. Who thought they could do no wrong because they could buy their way out of everything.

"I don't! I've quite used to people hating me, I have a family who tells me every day, but at least they have some stupid reason behind it. Not smart enough, no confident enough, not forward enough, too shy, too meek, too nice, not strong enough, too _weak_. At least they have reasons too! You're just some dick that thinks he knows everything about everyone and can make judgements. Princess? I can't remember a princess ever having to fight for her title, I can't remember some fairy tale where the princess is left friendless and loveless because the only thing anyone ever wanted her for was money." There was pure hatred in those opalescent eyes. Maybe this was a bad time to realise how pretty they were. And somehow, familiar? He opened his mouth, but nothing seemed to come out. He had royally fucked this one up. _Fuck, Genma. Way to dig yourself a hole._

His head turned swiftly back to her attention as she scoffed and seemed to settle down. She began getting up from the bench where she a completely fallen apart at and tried to gather herself. Wanting to be the independent and strong girl her family wanted, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face as she sniffled pathetically. _Weak. They were right._

"And y'know what? I'd rather be a spoilt princess than someone who makes bets about hitting up the shy, nerd at the bar." She took that moment to walk away quickly. Just wanting to get home and cry herself to sleep from the past two weeks events.

Genma stood stunned as he merely watched the upset woman walk away. Man, he felt like a dick. But at least now he remembered where he knew those eyes from. The same depressed girl from the bar that seemed to want to disappear into the background, flinching every time she heard a loud group of kids yelling at each other. He took pity on her and decided to go talk to her, only for his friends to comment on how she was bringing down the vibe of the bar. They ended up making a stupid bet that Genma would be able to change her demeanour and bring back the fun a bit. He hadn't expected to find the girl entertaining to talk to. And really, she was pretty cute up close. He sighed and took a seat on the bench she'd previously been wailing at. _Now, who was the stuck-up bitch, huh Genma?_

-X-

Hinata slumped into her bed. She hadn't had the energy to do anything else. She had assignments piling up, and yet she couldn't find the willpower to do anything about that. When had her life become such a boring, repetition of trying to please everyone else? Her eyes flickered to her phone screen. Grabbing the small device, she pressed her finger to the home button, and it opened to the photo that had unravelled any wall she'd built up in the past few weeks. A photo of Toneri, shirtless, wrapped up with some girl in bed. Both were smiling at the camera, and admittedly they were gorgeous together. She felt the familiar prick of tears behind her eyes. Kami she hated them for it. She hated him for this. How dare he? How dare he spend so much time on her to just drop her when she was no longer of use and get with the next thing he thought looked cute. Pearly teeth gritted in anger as she threw her phone at the bed, allowing the tears to run freely as everything felt like it came crashing down on her. _Why was it always her?_

" **Oi, maybe I don't like stuck up rich kids who think everyone should love them just 'cause they have some money? What makes you so special you think everyone should love you without reason to?"**

Her eyes squeezed tighter as she gripped her pillow. Nothing made her special. She didn't even have money any more. Something that used to draw people to her. She didn't like it, but at least she had some kind of friends. In her defeat, she decided that all she wanted to do was sleep and prayed she wouldn't wake up.

-X-

Tired eyes opened as she looked around her, everything was blurring as she tried to focus on anything. Clock. **2100.** It was late. Very late. She sighed as she finally managed to sit up. She felt unusually empty as the events of the past day came tumbling back to her. She sighed as she stood finally, deciding to go take a shower and maybe do some of those assignments she'd been putting off. She walked to the shower and hummed in happiness as the hot water trickled down onto her. She breathed in the steam and felt her body relax. If only she could feel this way forever.

Shutting off the water, she stood out and wrapped a towel around herself, staring at herself in the mirror. She looked tired. Her hair was wet and clung to her pale skin, having just been washed. Her eyes looked sunken in, and the pupils reminded her of everything she wanted to forget. Oh Kami, how she wanted to forget. Forget who she was just for a little bit, to love life again like she used to. See the colours in all their glory rather than a grim reminder of what she couldn't be. She glared at the mirror and walked off to her closet instead. She opened it to find a decent amount of clothes, lots of light colours, jeans, t-shirts. Plain singlets and such. Kami, she was plain. She skimmed over everything and finally found a dress hanging all the way in the back. She pulled it out and immediately felt sadness. It was a pretty dress. Was made of black satin, with an off the shoulder sweetheart neckline. It was fitted and ended at her mid-thigh, the rest a sheer material that flowed down the back and gradually grew shorter as it wrapped around the front, creating and small trail, but never hitting the ground. She'd worn it the night Toneri asked her out. Surrounded by candles and fireworks. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took the dress, laying it out on her bed. _Screw work. She was going to forget. Even just for a night. She deserved it._ She quickly grabbed some pretty lingerie she owned and put it on, somehow undergarments always made you feel better when they matched. Even if no one got to see it. She then pulled on the dress and walked to the bathroom to do her hair. She would feel pretty tonight. She would forget tonight. And she'd have fun tonight.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she pulled on some silver strappy shoes with a low heel. She could never master those stilettos the other girls wore. She'd break an ankle if she tried. She wanted to have fun not end up in hospital. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled. Her first genuine smile in quite a while. She looked pretty. Her eyes looked larger as a blue, and smoky black eye pulled them out. Her grinning lips painted with a slight pinkish nude. She looked pretty. She _felt_ pretty. Smiling, she grabbed her purse and made her way out the door. She didn't need anyone to have a good time. If none wanted to have fun with her, she'd have fun by herself. With that in mind, she called a cab and waited to go to the nearest club. Hopefully, that bartender wasn't working or was smart enough to steer clear after today's events.

The cab finally pulled up, and she muttered where she wanted to go, watching as the town lit up around her. She missed this. The colours and sounds, the air of excitement around people as they enjoyed themselves and forgot about their insecurities or a little while. Hinata smiled at the older man and nodded to him, paying before stepping out in front of the club. She stood in the long line, looking at her watch. **2200.** Looks like the party life was just getting started. She finally made her way inside. She could have walked to the front and given her ID with Hyuga on it and gotten straight in, but she refused to be the princess everyone thought she was. She was human. A human that thought she was no better than everyone else in the world. She looked around at the somewhat familiar settings and made her way to the bar, she was served by a cute brown-haired boy. Good. She stood to the side and sipped at her drink, willing the effects to take hold quickly. She smiled to herself as she watched the dance floor, giggling at some of the guys showing off to girls while blushing slightly at the couples who seemed to be getting a bit to intimate on the dancefloor. She felt herself relax as the alcohol finally hit her system. She closed her eyes and grinned at the buzz of the place. When she opened her eyes, she came face to face with a guy. He was average looking but cute in his own right, he looked as nervous as her, so she offered a smile.

"Hey." It seemed to be all he needed to get the courage to smile back and ask if she wanted to dance. Biting her lip gently she shook her head.

"I'm honestly not that great of a dancer." Her face flushed in embarrassment as the guy in front of her lit up at the comment.

"Well neither am I, so we'll be fine." He immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor, the ground lighting up as everyone danced to the erratic beat. She giggled as he began to dance and decided to join him. She clutched her drink and began moving her hips to the rhythm. The truth was she loved to dance, she was just never allowed too, so she never knew how to. The only time she ever danced was in the privacy of her own room. She laughed as he began making weird moves and couldn't help but like the guy who was willingly making himself look like an idiot to make her feel better about her moves. She blushed as he winked at her. She continued to let the beat rush over her and her moves became a lot more confident as she moved her hips and her free hand trailed over her body and in the air when the DJ yelled for everyone to raise them. She didn't know how long she danced with him, but she felt exhausted and in dire need of another drink. She whispers to him, and he nodded. She walked off the dance floor towards the bar, her seat from the other night was surprisingly free. She slid onto the familiar leather stool and turned into the bar. Placing her empty glass on the counter only for it to be immediately topped up. She gasped and looked up, only to come face to face with one of the reasons she was here to forget.

"I would say I can't stand to see a pretty girl look so down, but you look anything but down at the moment." The smooth voice washed over her, and she was too happy to let it affect her.

"Maybe I got sick of being so down." She brought the drink to her lips as she looked over him again. He was very handsome, ashamed about his personality. He suddenly became fidgety in front of her, causing her to lift an eyebrow.

"Look, I'm not good with this type of thing, but I'm sorry. I've been an ass to you multiple times, and I didn't really have a right to be." She blinked slowly, trying to process what was being said to her. He was… apologising? She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard someone apologise when they'd wronged her. They usually just told her she was being too sensitive and to get over it. She smiled. Genuinely. Genma's eyes widened at the site.

"Apology accepted." His jaw dropped as his toothpick fell from his lips in momentary shock.

"Just like that? I was a complete ass to you, and you just forgive me like that?" The woman in front of him chuckled and nodded.

"You apologised. What else can I expect from you? You also seem like you mean it so, apology accepted. Just don't do it to anyone else, please." He was right, she was weird. But, he couldn't say it was a turn-off. He leaned onto the bar, similar to how their interaction ended the previous night. Lifting a hand, he held it out to her.

"I'm Genma." Hinata's eyebrow raised as if to ask if they were really doing this, but as she seen his hand didn't lower, or his grin, she smiled herself and ignored the hand. Instead, she reached over the counter to a pile of toothpicks, picking one up and placed it on his lip.

"Pleased to meet you Genma, I'm Hinata." She saw his eyes darken as he took the toothpick between his teeth and leaned back. His eyes flicking to the opposite end of the bar to see if anyone was waving him over. They were. He almost sighed as she had to leave her and began to take the order. Another cocktail. He grinned as he looked over to the woman staring intently at him. He grabbed his tools and began his usual method of showing off. Who said you can't woo a girl after betting on her and calling her a spoilt rich kid? Okay, probably everyone, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. By the ends of the night, he was going to force her to like him. Because he'd been a dick, and it was the only way he could think of to make it right. To be friends.

She giggled as he threw shakers in the air and caught them, poured drinks together fancifully and twirled around umbrellas until he was left with two cocktails. He received applause for his show from the group at the bar, so he bowed and handed the original patron their drink before returning to his companion with the second. He placed it before her and grinned.

"On the house." She smirked and rolled her eyes at his obvious display but took the drink and they began to casually talk, between him serving people of course. Although she noticed he was around more than not. You would think a busy club would be none stop drinks. He apparently knew what she was thinking and shrugged.

"Honestly by this time, mostly everyone is either smashed enough or high." Hinata's eyes widened, but she nodded. It seemed appropriate. She was never really mixed up with drugs, but she knew it was a lot more common among the rich than people believed. Especially kids. She shrugged as the continued to talk and banter before he turned to her, suddenly serious.

"So what exactly is it you're trying to forget tonight?" The question caught her off guard. She looked down as the barrage of thoughts passed through her head. She grinned weakly up at him.

"Trust me, you don't want to hear a Princess' issue." She was teasing him. That was good at least. She wasn't upset about earlier anymore. But her words from either still plagued him, he was curious.

 **Princess? I can't remember a princess ever having to fight for her title, I can't remember some fairy tale where the princess is left friendless and loveless because the only thing anyone ever wanted her for was money.**

The petite girl sighed as she looked up at him, his eyes curious and she knew he wasn't going to just let it go. Taking a long sip from her cocktail and sighed and placed it in front of her.

"As you've probably heard, I'm the heiress to the multibillion-dollar Hyuga Enterprise. Unfortunately, that title doesn't usually get you true, timeless friends. All of my friends only ever check-up when they want something. Last time I was here, they were too. I never even got an invite. I guess that gave me a bit of a reality check." The poor girl sighed as she stared at her drink.

"I was in a relationship with a guy for 4 years, he was an heir too. I thought it was love, but it was business. I got demoted from my position as heiress, only to be taken over by my younger sister and the day after I got a phone call saying the relationship wasn't working out… A very astounding coincidence." He could hear the bitterness in her voice, but he didn't blame her. She was kind of in the middle of a shit show. He winced, he here he was thinking she was a spoilt brat who Daddy showered in love and affection, giving her everything she wanted. A bit far from the truth. He blinked as she seemed to fall into the same depressed state as the first time he'd seen her. She jumped slightly as she felt him move abruptly. He took off his apron and walked to the back for a moment. She looked up confused and slightly disheartened. She'd just spilt her guys and the guy up and left. Swallowing painfully, she got up from her seat and began to make her way to the door. Before she could get there, however, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist.

"Oi, where do you think you're going alone?" Her mind raced as she turned around and came face to face with the man who had just left her. She blinked and realised that it was much more, face to chin really. Had he always been that tall? She looked up and mumbled out something in her stunned state.

"U-Um… home?" She watched him laugh and instead give her a wicked grin, tugging her to the exit of the place and into the street's nightlife.

"I thought you wanted to forget?" She blushed under his gaze but nodded none the less, to which he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her through the crowded streets to different bars along the stretch of nightlife. She giggled as he began ordering her random drinks she'd never heard of. She began to relax with him, as they sat at tables outside a bar, and talked. Telling each other about stupid things they'd done in the past, people they knew and what they wanted to be.

"I wanted to be an artist," she admitted as she took another sip. Everything was getting hazy, but she was having way too much fun to stop. Genma's eyebrow lifted.

"Why didn't you?" It was an innocent question. But she snorted and rolled her eyes.

"My father destroyed all my supplies when I let it slip I wanted to give people art lessons. Imagine if I went to art school?" She watched him cringe and mumbled out an insult. She chuckled and nodded agreeing with him. Her father was an asshole.

"What about you?" It was Genma's turn to think for a moment.

"I don't really know. I always thought once I grew up it would come to me, but it never did. I guess I just like the freedom of not being tied down to any one thing." He felt a bit embarrassed. Here he was talking to a woman who was earning a degree and had other ambitions besides that when he was being a bum and just taking odd jobs where he liked.

"Y'know, I envy people like you. People who can do what they want without repercussion from family or media. You can decide what you want to do and do it. You have no cage." He could see the pain behind her eyes, and he felt… different. He'd never really thought of his situation like that. He complained about having to live from pay check to pay check, but she was right. Really, he could do anything he wanted. Whereas, people like her couldn't. They were stuck in this endless pit of family, business and having to make people happy and successful. His eyebrows knitted together.

"I never liked rich people," he admitted as he threw back the rest of his drink. "I always saw them complaining about their circumstances, while I struggled through life. I was an orphan. Thrown from foster care to foster care till I was 18 and got out. Never really had a family, constantly worked to make ends meet. Then I'd turn on the TV and hear about how some multi-millionaire was losing profits about how they were devasted. Working at the bar, I constantly heard rich kids complaining their parents wouldn't buy them some ridiculous expensive car or let them go on vacation to the Maldives with their friends." His fist tightened, as she watched him become angry. "It all seemed so selfish to me, I learnt to hate rich people, especially kids… kind of came back to bite me on the ass, didn't it?" He looked back at her and smiled sheepishly. She nodded her understanding.

"Unfortunately, you're not that off what rich kids are usually like. Stereotypes tend to exist for a reason. I grew up with those kids. They were beyond annoying. I met Uchiha Sasuke at a party once when I was younger, and he constantly showed off his new expensive phone to his friends and me. Everyone thought he was cool, and so did he. He's still one of the most arrogant people I've ever met mind you. Anyways, some kid was so jealous of his phone that he stole it and launched into the pool. You should have seen the look on Sasuke's face. I've never seen a rock 'ugly cry' before, but that's what it looked like." Hinata giggled at the memory. Genma busted into laughter. He always thought that kid was a dick.

"Well, I'm glad my assumptions aren't completely off, but in saying that… I am really sorry I threw you into the same boat." Hinata merely smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine, Genma. You don't need to keep apologising." A shiver ran down his spine as she muttered his name. She was whispering, even if she didn't mean to and the way she was looking at him stirred something inside. She drunk but Kami was she beautiful in this moment. She was leaning forward, using the table as support as she flushed a healthy pink from the alcohol and most likely embarrassment as they talked. Her hair was messy but not unpleasantly so, her eyes were alight with life, and in that instant, he wanted to kiss her senseless. He closed his eyes as he tried to force the thought to the back of his mind. 12 hours ago, he was pissed at the girl, now he was trying his hardest not to pull her against him. He suddenly hears a loud growl and looked to the woman before him who lit up like a lantern in embarrassment. He laughed and jumped up, before stumbling into the table, catching himself. Maybe he'd had too much as well. He walked to her side of the table and bowed, offering his hand in an obnoxiously dramatic way.

"Princess, would you honour me in heading towards a fine establishment at," he quickly checked his watch, "3am in the morning?" He heard her giggle but take her smaller hand in his, pulling herself out of the chair and stumble against him as he straightened. His reflexes kicked in enough to stop her from falling, but only by tugging her against him. Suddenly he could feel every curve under that lovely dress of hers. He bit into the toothpick harder for a moment, looking up as a prayer for strength. This was the exact opposite of what he'd been trying to do not 15 seconds earlier.

She merely giggled drunkenly against him and used him as support to hold herself steady. He decided he didn't mind that much. He grinned and wrapped her arm around his and pulled her along with him. They laughed at nothing as they stumbled to his destination surrounded by equally drunk individuals and the random officer surveying the horde of drunkards. They finally made it to their 'fine establishment' which had a glowing yellow 'M' upon entering. She giggled as she seen it and walked into the fast food place, wrapped in his arm. They both made it to the ordering screen after a horde of teenagers finally finished. Genma walked up to the screen and began placing in his order before turned to her.

"What do you want, buttercup?" She flushed and stuttered out something unintelligible. Genma gave her a look and tried again.

"What do you usually get?" Hinata looked down in embarrassment and twiddled her thumbs.

"I-I've never had it before." Genma stared at her in obvious disbelief for a moment.

"What? You've **never** had McDonald's?" Hinata flushed red again and Genma, pulled her to the screen suddenly, she yelped and braced herself against him as she stared at the hundreds of possible choices in front of her. She looked for a moment and pointed at something random.

"Those?" Genma looked at her choice and snorted in amusement.

"Of course. Chicken nuggets. You girl." She giggled and pressed the order, adding it to their list. They finally finished ordering, which was quite difficult when you were barely sober enough to stand alone. She watched him, perform the task with some difficulty, watching his eyes squint in determination and the toothpick roll from side to side in his mouth. She couldn't help but admire the very nicely dressed man in the middle of a McDonalds trying through a drunken haze to order some fatty food. She chuckled to herself and froze as she felt arms wrap around her torso, pulling her into the grasp of a very fit body. Shuddering as she felt his breath along her ear.

"What are you giggling at, Dollface?" She flushed and looked up at him, his amber eyes staring down at her, his warm spreading over her while his hand absentmindedly ran circles in her side, causing her heat in a much different way.

"Oi, stop trying to screw in front of us and let us order." The sound of a cranky teen that barely looked old enough to drink broke them from their enchantment. Which Genma wasn't too thrilled about.

"Oi runt, when you finally hit puberty and convince some poor girl into liking your ugly face, you'll wanna screw her in the middle of a fast food chain as well." Hinata felt light headed as her mind connected the dots. She bit her lip and turned a deep red before Genma pulled her towards a booth.

"Y-You really d-d-didn't have to say that…" Hinata mumbled as she looked down at her fingers, trying to regain control of her blood supply. She watched him wink at her and whisper into her ear.

"Well, it's true." She flushed all over again and shuddered under his advances, she shouldn't be allowing his. She hated his guts for the last 2 weeks, and suddenly she had her legs wrapped up in his and his arms around her, whispering naughty things into her ears. But by kami did she love every second of it. Their food was called out, so Genma detached himself from her, with much effort, and made his way to get it. However, on the way over Hinata saw something, she wished she never had. Toneri sucking face with that girl from the picture. She swallowed thickly and looked down, hoping he wouldn't recognise her. She sighed in relief as Genma came back with their food, he sat on the opposite side of her this time, shielding her from Toneri's view as they began to eat. She continued to laugh and joke with him. However, she couldn't feel herself relax when she knew he was in the room with her. Genma seemed to pick up on her discomfort as he wolfed down his burger and chips. How a guy with his figure ate so much she didn't know.

"What's wrong, Hinata? I'm sorry for what I said before… It crossed a line, I didn't mean to make you-" Hinata grabbed his hand gently, smiling as he began babbling out an apology for something she wasn't even sorry about.

"It's not you. I-I'm fine with what you d-did." She took a deep breath as she felt her cheek light up again. Genma grinned in response for a moment before looking confused.

"Then what's up?" Hinata bit her lip in contemplation if she should bother telling him. Annoying him with her issues again. She jumped as she heard him groan.

"Hinata, if you keep doing that, I'm not responsible with what happens to you after." She was going to faint in front of this man. He was too much. She giggled and shook her head. Leaning forward, she mumbled softly.

"The guy with white hair in the corner over there is the ex I was talking about." She looked away quickly as Toneri looked up and around suddenly. She gave Genma a look to which he nodded and got up.

"I'll run to the toilet for a sec then we can get going." He winked at her and jogged towards the restroom, leaving her hot and alone. As she began packing up their food to throw away, she felt a two presence arrive beside her. She closed her eyes, knowing exactly who they were. She prayed for some kind of strength to not fall apart and looked up at them. Offering them each a small smile.

"Hi…" Was all she could muster as she looked at her ex, who's arm never moved from around his new girlfriends' waist. She swallowed and tried to keep her composure.

"Hey Hinata, I saw you over here along and decided to say hi. It's been awhile." _It's only been 2 weeks, you prick._ Hinata merely nodded.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you're so well, and have a beautiful girlfriend now." She wouldn't be petty. She refused to be petty, especially towards the girl. Hinata doubted the woman had any idea what happened between them.

"Thanks, she's absolutely amazing. You look good though, don't worry, many girls go out by themselves these days, it's nothing to be ashamed of, you should hold your independence high." Hinata's teeth clenched as she tried not to glare. Everything he said sounded nice, but it was just a backhand to her face. Pointing out everything she knew she was self-conscious of.

"Yeah, they do. But luckily, I swept Hinata off her feet and haven't let her down since. Apparently, I can never leave my Dollface for too long, she attracts too many guys." All three were surprised form the voice behind them, although Hinata hid hers a lot better than the two guests. She looked up to see Genma in all his manly handsomeness, standing behind them with his signature toothpick hanging from his mouth again. He winked down at Hinata who flushed but immediately got up and held only his side, his arms automatically wrapping around her waist as if they'd done it a hundred times.

"Oh Toneri, this is Genma. My boyfriend." She stated the end with more confidence then she felt and prayed that he would just go with it. Luckily, he did. Toneri's face screwed up for a moment in jealousy before he tried to look apathetic. Muttering he was happy for her before turning to Genma and smiling pleasantly.

"Well I hope you have luckier with her then I, she was such a shy thing with me." Another jab. Genma's eyes darkened as he understood exactly what the man was trying to do. What a dick.

"She definitely shy in front of everyone else, but man she's heaven behind closed doors." Hinata almost choked at his innuendo but held it together, if only to see the steam seem to come out of her ex's ears in anger. He glared at Hinata before muttering he had to leave and pulled his confused partner's hand as he left. Hinata couldn't hold it as she burst into a fit of giggles. Her face bright red as she turned to the man smirking above her. He looked down and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Hinata immediately flushed as she began walking about the door muttering incoherencies. All she heard was Genma's laugh as he followed her out. He continued walking and talking about the incident, and how he treated Hinata during the relationship. She admitted she knew he didn't love her but held onto false hope for longer than she should have. As they walked, they sobered up slightly, making their way to a quieter section of town, a park. Finally, they paused under a lamp post, laughing as they both remembered the look on his face at Genmas retort. She bit her lip as she looked down, suddenly very self-conscious for some reason. She felt rough hands grip her chin as they forced her to look up at him. She swallowed at the look in his eyes, dark and lustful. She shuddered as heat once again rose in her, but not just on her face.

"Hinata… I know I was an asshole to you at the beginning, but I'm quickly learning that I really like you. And I'm also finding I don't want Toneri's perception of us to be false either." Hinata froze slightly, her head slowly connecting what he was trying to say. She smiled gently as he turned his head in embarrassment, clearly not used to being so sweet. She lifted her hands to his shirt and pulled him down to her, pressing her lips to his. Something she had wanted to do for quite some time now. She heard him groan beneath her lips before she was suddenly lifted off the ground, instinctively her bare legs wrapped around his waist. Her arms encircling his shoulders as she felt her back press against the cold metal of the lap surface. She moaned into the kiss as his tongue flicked over her lip, asking for entrance to which she happily granted. And that's how they remained for quite some time. Happily embracing each other in a passionate kiss in the middle of a park they'd screamed at each other in. And she wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

Well fuck. That was long.

Also, Genma doesn't get the appreciation he deserves much. Especially with Hinata. I think they're adorable and there are not nearly enough fanfics about them.

Please rectify. And let me know.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed.


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